Congratulations on your acceptance to Canisius College! As an international or exchange student, you will be in close contact with the staff of the International Student Programs Office. We are here to assist you during your stay at Canisius and in the United States. Please be sure that you are checking your email regularly as you prepare to arrive to Canisius. We will use email to inform you of important information regarding your arrival, orientation, and things you will need to know about studying here at the College.
Important Information for Accepted International and Exchange Students:
I-20s:
Once you are accepted to the College, you will be mailed your I-20. You will need your I-20 before you are able to make your appointment with the US consulate or embassy for a visa. Please take a moment and read over the I-20 procedures website, to ensure that you follow all the necessary steps to complete your I-20.
Visas:
Once you receive your I-20 in the mail, you will need to make an appointment with either the US consulate or embassy for a visa. Prior to making your appointment for your visa, please read the Visa Tips website. This site will answer many questions that you may have regarding obtaining an F-1 Student Visa. If you still have questions, please do not hestitate to contact our office. We will discuss what you need to know about your F-1 Student Visa during Orientation.
Orientation:
All new International and Exchange students for Spring 2012 must attend a mandatory Orientation session beginning Tuesday, January 10, 2012. Students should plan to arrive to Canisius no later than Tuesday, January 10, 2012. Orientation will begin that afternoon at 12 noon. For more information on the Orientation program, please read the International Student Orientation website.
Housing:
General Housing Application (.pdf)
You will need to fill out a housing application and send it back to us by mail, email, or fax. Freshmen are required to live in either Bosch or Frisch Hall, our freshmen residence halls. Upperclass students have a choice of which area they prefer, depending upon availability. Many of our International and Exchange students request to live in Campion Hall, the Intercultural Living Center. Other students choose to live in an apartment with other American students, in order to work on their English speaking skills and immerse themselves in the Canisius community. Graduate students may request the housing areas specifically for our graduate student population. For more information, please see the Graduate Housing website. Please note that the housing costs site only lists housing per semester and per academic year (Fall and Spring). If you plan to stay on-campus for any summer sessions, Dugan Hall is open for summer residents. There are additional costs for summer housing. For more information, please visit the Office of Residence Life website.
Health Insurance:
All students on visas are required to purchase a special Canisius insurance policy for international students. Please do not purchase your own insurance, aside from the Canisius College policy. The cost for the insurance will be billed to your Student Account.
For information on the health insurance, please visit the Allen J. Flood website. Select "Canisius College - International" from the drop-down menu.
Click here (.pdf) to view the policy brochure.
Students may wish to purchase health insurance for a spouse or child. This plan allows students to enroll dependents. To enroll a spouse or child, please call the Allen J Flood Companies directly at 1-800-734-9326.
Your health insurance card will be mailed to your local mailing address, but in the meantime you have the ability to print a temporary Student Identification Card. To do so, go to the Allen J Flood Companies website. Choose "Canisius College - International" from the drop-down menu. Click on "Student Identification Card". This will generage a .pdf in which you will be able to fill in and print out until your permanent card arrives in the mail.
Health Forms and Immunizations:Please make sure you have your home physician complete the health history form, indicating the dates (month, day and year) of all your immunizations. If you do not have all your immunizations prior to your arrival at Canisius, you will not be allowed to register for classes until you are immunized in Buffalo.
Student Health requires all students to submit the college physical examination form. Click here to download the form. (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)
New York State requires all college students to be protected against measles, mumps, rubella and meningitis. Students who do not comply with immunization requirements are not allowed to attend class.
To learn about all the immunization requirements and to print the form, click here.
We look forward to your arrival to campus!
Questions? You can reach us by email at isp@canisius.edu or by calling (716)888-4175.